… is to help Decibel win a new set of wheels.

tl;dr:

Click. Vote. Share. Kthxbye.

Okay, i admit it… i’m a bit of a car nut. I go to the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto almost every year, just because i love cars and love seeing what’s new.

This year, i was excited to see a few of the new small crossover utility vehicles that were coming out. My current car (a 2005 smart fortwo cdi) has been a blast to drive for the last six years, but it’s got over 140,000 km on it, and it just isn’t well-suited to carrying lots of wood, tools, machinery and guitars.

I fell in love with the new Mazda CX-5. And as it turns out, Mazda Canada started a contest on Facebook, around their “Defy Convention” theme. Facebook users were invited to submit a story, photo or video describing how they defy convention to create works of creativity, achievement or impact on society… i thought the birth of Decibel Guitars and my approach to the design, construction and business aspects were all good reflections of the “defy convention” spirit.

I was successfully voted into the second round of the contest by family, friends and fans… I’m now up against 32 others for a shot at the 5 “finalist” slots which will be judged to determine the winner. Here’s where i need your help.

Check out this video i created as my semi-finalist entry:

Please click on this link to go to the Mazda Canada contest page on Facebook. (You need to have a Facebook account.) After clicking “Like” on the Mazda Canada page, you can click through and vote for my entry (under “Darren W.”).

Also please consider sharing it far and wide on Facebook, on Twitter, via email, carrier pigeon, whatever. I’m not picky. Competition is going to be fierce, and Decibel needs a new set of wheels!

Thanks for watching, and hopefully the Decibel logo will be plastered on a shiny new CX-5 in June!

Our friend Rick interviewed Misha back in the summer for 7Heaven.org, and this little tidbit came out…

I love Doug Campbell‘s work, and to be mentioned in the same sentence is truly an honour. And being “the best guitar i’m not afraid to take on the road,” is pretty high praise as well… I build guitars to be played, and i’m glad dB1 was getting road-tested instead of sitting at home in its case.

The guitar was holding up extremely well on the road, staying in tune and taking a beating each night. It’s got some “character lines” on it now, and the finish is getting a dark, rich patina to it, but it’s standing up to the rigors of touring quite nicely!

For some of you, this may seem like not-so-great news, but i think it’s a positive thing.

In just a few months, the wait list has gone from zero to over 100 names. This has exceeded my wildest expectations, and i’m truly honoured that so many of you are so interested in my instruments that you’ve signed up. Thank you!

In order to keep things manageable, and not have a perpetually discouraging number up on the Wait List page, i’ve decided to temporarily close the wait list for the time being. However…

The positive side of this is that i should be starting to work through the list in the next few weeks, and i hope to get a sense for how many of those waiting list slots will turn into real orders, and how quickly i can work through the builds. Once i think i’m on a manageable pace, i’ll open up the waiting list again.

So while you can’t currently add your name to the queue, this does mean that i’m getting close to clearing that backlog.

Thanks for your patience!


darren.

Hey, everyone

I’ve always promised to be as open and transparent as possible and to make sure everyone understands what’s going on with Decibel. In doing so, i’m trying to set an example as a new way of engaging customers in the 21st century. And that includes things like pricing. Read more

Things are moving along nicely, and lots of people have been wondering when we’ll be taking customer orders. The answer is still, “NOT QUITE YET!” but at least now you can reserve your place in line!

Head on over and add your name to the list, and you’ll be notified when your build slot opens up!